Roughly 8 million Americans have signed up for health insurance through the new online marketplaces, according to federal officials. Pictured here is the website, Healthcare.gov.

Written by

Lisa Bernard-Kuhn

Enrollment in the new online insurance marketplace surged in the final weeks of sign-ups, nearly doubling in Ohio, according to data out Thursday.

Nationwide, more than 8 million Americans signed up for a private health insurance plan sold through the new marketplace, considered a cornerstone of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Another 4.8 million enrolled into Medicaid according to data released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).